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Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §1018-B, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 334, §14, is further amended to read:
 
2. Receipt of donations.   After an election, candidates may receive donations for purposes of a recount. The donations must be within the limitations of section 1015, except that no limitation applies to donations from party committees and caucus campaign committees and from attorneys, consultants and their firms that are donating their services without reimbursement. Candidates may not spend revenues received under chapter 14 for recount expenditures.
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §1018-B, sub-§3  is enacted to read:
 
3.  Maine Clean Election Act candidates.     Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a candidate certified as a Maine Clean Election Act candidate under section 1125, subsection 5 may receive and expend funds for purposes of a recount in accordance with this subsection.
 
A.  A certified candidate may receive and expend donations for purposes of a recount under subsection 2.
 
B. If the opponent of a certified candidate requests a recount, the certified candidate may use Maine Clean Election Fund revenues previously disbursed under section 1125 for eligible recount expenditures. A certified candidate may not receive an additional disbursement from the Maine Clean Election Fund for eligible recount expenditures. For purposes of this paragraph, "eligible recount expenditures" means only expenditures for legal representation either during a recount or during a court challenge to the results of the recount. "Eligible recount expenditures" does not include a deposit paid by a candidate who requests a recount under section 737-A.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment, which is the minority report of the committee, clarifies that a candidate may only spend revenues the candidate previously received under the Maine Clean Election Act for the cost of legal representation during a recount or subsequent court challenge if the recount is requested by the candidate's opponent. Maine Clean Election Act Fund revenues may not be used to pay the deposit due to the Secretary of State by a candidate who requests a recount.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)